Conversation
Do humans really carry pheromones?
The idea of human pheromones is intuitively appealing, conjuring up the idea of secret signals that make us irresistible to ...
Why we crave sugar and why it’s so hard to stay away from it
In neuroscience, food is something we call a “natural reward.” In order for us to survive as a species, things ...
What did the real paleo diet look like?
Reconstructions of human evolution are prone to simple, overly-tidy scenarios. Our ancestors, for example, stood on two legs to look ...
Neuroscience needs to globalize focus on mental health
Neuroscience holds the key to understanding the brain – and to developing more effective treatments for people with mental health ...
Will genome sequencing provide impediment to medicine?
Genomics is increasingly hailed by many as the turning point in modern medicine. Advances in technology now mean we’re able ...
Do fatty and sugary foods affect the brain and make you want to eat more?
Obviously, overeating unhealthy foods can lead to overweight. But looking beyond direct effects on expanding waistlines, our lab studies how ...
Aging dogs can help us understand Alzheimer’s disease
Every 67 seconds someone in the United States is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and new estimates suggest that it may be ...
Can your dog really understand what you’re saying?
Sometimes it may seem like your dog doesn’t want to listen. But in our study, however, we’ve found that he ...
Who controls your actions: you or your brain?
Imagine that Brian promises to drive you to the airport but never shows up, and you miss your flight. When ...
Paleolithic diet advocates find no support from genetics
We still hear and read a lot about how a diet based on what our Stone Age ancestors ate may ...
Europe desperately needs science advisor post
The past week saw two significant events in European science. You know about the first one: the triumphant Rosetta mission ...
Getting older isn’t always bad for brains
For years, conventional wisdom held that growing older tends to be bad news for brains. Past behavioral data largely pointed ...
Performance in school is heritable, but inequality of education still an issue
The idea that children can inherit the ability to get good results at school can spark heated debate. But, put ...
Dangers of exploiting science without understanding it
Recent years have seen a huge growth in the public awareness of neuroscience. People have become more interested in new findings ...
China GM revolution in low gear as anti-GMO activists spread ‘paranoia’ about infertility, safety
One of China’s major genetically modified food projects is now to all intents and purposes dead and buried. The expiry on ...
Anti-GMO ‘paranoia’ hindering China’s progress towards food security
One of China’s major genetically modified food projects is now to all intents and purposes dead and buried. The expiry on ...
Independent safety research needed to rebuild public trust in GM products
The Dutch Commission on Genetic Modification (COGEM), a statutory advisory body of scientists created to provide advice to government on ...
Transparency and dialogue needed to figure out solutions in GMO labeling debates
In all countries in which genetically modified (GM) food is sold, such as Australia and the US, the issue of food ...
How private, profit-driven investment shapes GM industry
Research into GM crops has always been largely driven by the private sector, even though a 2000 report from the Commonwealth Biotechnology ...
Is genetic modification of foods ‘ethical’?
Food is cultural, social and deeply personal, so it’s no surprise that modifications to the way food is produced, distributed ...
How GM foods are determined safe to eat in Australia
Foods produced using gene technology are prohibited from sale in Australia and New Zealand unless they have undergone strenuous pre-market ...
New life for Seralini’s GM corn toxicity study but raw data still no where to be seen
A controversial 2012 paper on the effects of genetically modified (GM) maize and the herbicide glyphosate on tumour growth in rats – ...
Who’s responsible for regulating GM food in Australia?
With the advent of crop genetic engineering in the 1980s, public controversy and intense public scrutiny over genetically modified (GM) ...
Major flaws remain unaddressed in republished Séralini GM corn toxicity study
A couple of years back a French research study (known as the Séralini.study after its primary author) claimed that rats ...
Vast majority of lab-sounding GM work was completed in fields through selective breeding
Genetic modification (GM) sounds very laboratory-based – people in white coats inserting and deleting genes – but the vast majority of GM ...
Evidence suggests ‘gay genes’ do exisit, but some straight women have them, too
The claim that homosexual men share a “gay gene” created a furore in the 1990s. But new research two decades ...
British scientists push for government to relax GMO barriers
Many people are pretty fed up with the continuing fuss about GM food and crops. There have been innumerable reviews and ...
From scourge to saviour: Using viruses to treat serious disease
Viruses have traditionally been mankind’s enemies, causing disease and often mutating out of the reach of our medicines. But now ...
